The Invisible Operating System!

At the start of this week after talking to a Microsoft Rep at work about their Windows 8 Operating System and the current problems my partner is having with Windows Vista reminded what was wrong with both Microsoft’s and Apple’s operating systems is that they are not invisible!

Now you may think this is a strange thing to say but if you think about what the operating system should be actually doing in so much it is a frame work and user interface to make a computer in to a productive and creative tool. So in actual fact on a computer an operating system should fade into the background in so much it is easy to use and only maintenance which needed to be done on it are routine and automatic tasks which should run in the background with little or not disturbance to the user using it.

Both Microsoft Window’s and Apples Operating Systems fail on both counts in so much both are high maintenance operating systems which need constant tweaks to keep going at their optimum performance and both are extremely vulnerable to errors and malware, just Apple is better at hiding such things.

The upshot of which the user has to waste more time both just maintaining the operating system and fixing a constant stream of bugs and security problems both operating systems throw up constantly. All this eats into the time the user could be productive and create and defeat the whole point of an operating system that is to fade in to the background.

But as I keep saying both Microsoft and Apple have both hyped up the importance of their operating systems but both simply do not deliver operating systems which are usable, stable and low maintenance which unnecessary dominate the users time in maintenance and issued caused by the said operating systems.

But as always the large majority of users out there are blinded by the advertising and propaganda produced both by Microsoft and Apple and far too lazy or apathetic to look elsewhere or force both companies to actually produce decent operating system!

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Windows 9 Still is Not Going to be the Answer!

When it comes out I still think that Windows 9 will still not be answer to the prayers to the current Windows xp users even with the return of the menu, start button and real desktop as it will still be Windows 8 in the background with all it’s associated problems. That is it’s associated problems with updates, security and customization which have always been part of Windows 8.

I suspect that Windows 9 will not cure any of the current security and associated software problems plus I suspect even with Microsoft’s claim the foot print of the operating system is going to be smaller it’s hardware requirements will still be bigger than any other operating system on the market including Apple.

So once again users will have to spend more on their new hardware or throw away so called outdated hardware which frankly is the greatest crime as the hardware they are currently using is far from spent so it’s a waste of money and resources. After all look at Apple’s computers they may be expensive but their operating system make better use of the hardware so the hardware last a lot longer so waste less resources in the long run.

I am still of the view we are serviced by a retail industry centred and blinkered to just selling Windows Computers which is doing users, especially Windows xp users, a major disservice at a time when money is short and we should be careful with the use of our resources in general if we want to reduce our pollution footprint on the world.

I will keep saying this until someone out there wakes up to the fact that the best way for Windows xp users is to go towards the Linux root especially with Linux Mint with xfce desktop as it will mean that they can keep their old hardware and a desktop which is very familiar. Add to this an operating system which is as stable and friendly as Windows xp was with the added advantage Linux Mint has little or no security issues of Windows has always had.

This is all from personal experience as I have already converted at least two ex-Windows xp users who are using old hardware to Linux Mint with xfce desktop with a lot of success. One of these people now use the Linux machine over their Windows desktop simply because it is easier to use and actually does what it says on the packet. Much like Windows xp it simply works and the operating system fades into the background where it should be.

I know I keep beating the Linux drum and point out the short comings of Windows but someone has to as currently Windows users are really getting a bad time on the internet in so much they are constantly plagued with malware and viruses even constant update problems something which is not right!

Add to this people think this is perfectly normal experience of the computer and the internet but it not the case contrary to what Microsoft and computer industry want users to believe. But this is not the case as with right operating systems including Apple operating system the internet and computers are meant to be easy to use and not hard work Windows has made it!

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How The Mighty Will Fall!

All I can say I think we will be seeing the swan song of Microsoft in next few decades as finally it succumbs to it’s own arrogance, lack of innovation and a corporate structure which does not have the ability to change with the changing world around it.

Though I suspect Microsoft will not be only mighty computer company to fall in the next few decades as all have not noticed the rise of likes of the Raspberry Pi Cheap Computer who is exposing both enthusiasts and new generation of computer users to the joys of real computing and just how easy Open Source Software is especially Linux.

But as always Microsoft and it’s associated big computer companies especially in the United States still believe they have the total domination of the computer market with those within industry who are too blind and still have faith in computer software which frankly is showing it’s age, lack of innovation and is the most prone to attack as in Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

It is now only a matter of time before Microsoft and the like are going to have to change or be left behind to slowly sink into oblivion and obscurity which we are already seeing as the share of Microsoft Software on all devices included tablets has dropped under 20%. Add to this a pressure from governments within Europe, Russia and even China to start to replace the use of Microsoft Windows with Linux especially in government the pressure on Microsoft is only going to get worse over the next decades.

Though in a way Microsoft and associated United States Computer giants are victims of their own corporate structures and strategies which are both geared for profit and not innovation or flexibility plus the fact that NSA spying actives outside of the United States, especially in Europe, has meant that countries now simply do not believe or trust any software generated by the computer giants in the United States now!

If has gone so far in China they are not telling their people not to use computers with Microsoft Windows on and the government has started it’s own development of a Linux which ironically will have government back doors in it.

I suspect we are going to see a major shift in who actually dominates the computer software market over the next few decades as people slowly wake up as people get more exposure to Open Source software in the form of Android and Linux currently all helped by Microsoft’s current batch of Windows which are universally disliked once people actually use them.

But I still suspect the major computer players in computer industry, especially in the United States, will sit in their Ivory Towers in sheer arrogance believe they are still dominating the industry even as things start to fall around them!

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

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Microsoft: The Leopard That Will Never Change Its Spots!

What has gone unreported are the recent actions of Microsoft in the United States where they under the pretence of protecting their users from spam email ceased 23 domains from the dynamic DNS supplier Noip. I suspect those outside of the computer industry and hobbies like myself would not think it was that important to report.

But it should have been reported as Microsoft’s actions caused millions of users of Noip no end of trouble and heart age and accused the likes of myself and Noip of being responsible for the spam on their mail systems. This regardless of the fact Noip I suspect watches it systems very closely and I am totally innocent of such charges.

Add to this the fact that Microsoft thought it had the right to take the domains in the first place smacks in the face of our liberty and freedoms as human beings and civilized society. Just think of what Microsoft did they legally stole the domains which damaged millions of users and business web sites in the process!

They did this without thought of the consequences and with the arrogance of a company which thinks it is still important and big player in the computer industry. Plus it put itself above the basic human rights and freedoms we all have fought for.

We have to ask the question of Microsoft, even if done with the best intentions, what does gave them the right to police the web?

My personal view and observations of Microsoft by attempting to cease these domains rather than actually improve their security they are showing they have lost control of their section of the internet which is now so riddled down to their operating system with viruses and malware to a point users who use their systems now do not get a good experience of the internet any more.

Personally this is just another example of how desperate Microsoft are to remain a big player and regardless of the right noises they make of being more open they still do the same old dodgy and underhand business practices just a little more quietly!

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When Are People Going to Wake Up to Windows?

I know I have said this before but it has to be said again as it seams people both users and within the computer industry themselves are not getting it!

When is someone actually going to wake up and do something about the major security issues connected to the Window operating system especially in the domestic environment?

It currently as if the average user thinks it is perfectly normal that they have computer system which is constantly under attack from hackers, criminal and those disenchanted by the establishment itself. All made worse they have to almost yearly spend money to have an expert to clean their machine because yet again it has been effected by malware or viruses yet again!

Now I am not only one who must remember a decades ago when computing and surfing the internet was not an exercise in dodging those sites containing pop-ups or even potential threats to your computer including scammers. It almost as if for Windows users the internet has become a mine field to a point of becoming unusable for the unsuspecting out there.

What makes this whole situation even worse is the inaction of the major computer companies and governments to tackle this situation if anything they seam incapable or willing to do anything about a situation if occurred elsewhere they would be quick to stamp out. After all what is happing is without question is criminal and extracting hard earned money off people.

Then add to this not everyone who surfs the web currently have the same experience there are a whole group of users outside of Windows users who have a completely different experience of the web, one of which is much as it was a decade ago for Window users that is scammer, malware and virus free. I am talking Android, Apple and Linux users who enjoy a virus, malware and scammer free web experience with only the occasional attacks which are always put down quickly, quietly with little real damage to the users experience.

So I must not be only one out there who has to start to question just why does Microsoft and the major computer companies out there are not doing anything to curve the constant attacks on Windows users or even making a real effort to make their experience on the internet better for their users?

After all if other operating system creators can why cannot Microsoft follow suit?

Then the biggest question being just why are governments, especially in the West, not doing anything effective against the so called cybercriminals our there?

This last question sort of makes you think big time!

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

Please Note: If you are interested in my home page just follow the link to Experiment No. 3.

Please Note: I also have a small personal social network which is invitation only just follow the link to Luther’s Chosen Few.

A Faint Hope For Microsoft!

With the passing of Steve Balmer from Microsoft it seams that it is changing for the better with more realistic view of their position within the computer industry, unlike the large majority of it’s less enlightened supporters who still live in the dark ages of Microsoft.

It helps that Microsoft have put a software engineer not a businessman back at the helm of their company as yes corporations have to make money but it is way they make money which can cause a lot of problems for their customers and the way Microsoft was run under Steve Balmer was definitely bad for Microsoft customers!

There is a faint hope that now post Steve Balmer Microsoft will treat it users and products with more respect rather than treating them as cash cows to get the money out of them ignore them once they have their money as in the past!

So far from what I have seen little has changed there though to be fair it is early days as far as change within Microsoft but there is already signs of change the way Microsoft sells it’s products in so much as long last they have finally realised they as company do not live in glorious isolation or totally dominate the computer market any more.

The fact now Microsoft have finally had to admit that Open Source software and tablets exist does look as if finally they are going in the right direction again. All helped by the quick appearance of Office 365 on Apple’s iPad and talk by Microsoft of Android come Linux versions of Office 365 which will be a god send for Microsoft as if they continued in their old direction would of put their future survival in question.

It really looks like Microsoft could of turned a corner and finally back on course of going back to the company which leads the computer industry with new ideas rather than a joke it had become under Steve Balmer within the computer industry itself. But it is still early days for Microsoft and much like many modern companies they can quickly fall back into their old ways in pursuit of profit regardless.

What I find even more comical are those outside of Microsoft who blindly follow Microsoft who claim changes in Microsoft was already happening under Steve Balmer as it really shows an almost criminal naivety about way modern companies work.

Add to this they keep harking on about the good Microsoft did, conveniently forgetting the damage and heart ache Microsoft have caused it customers over the same time which far outweigh any good stuff they have done. But as always the people in question tend to be outside of the Information Technology industry itself and frankly ignorant about those who use computers for real work not playing with computers!

So the biggest question is just why do Windows Users accept the situation as they would not if they had constant problems with their cars or other electrical equipment!

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

Please Note: If you are interested in my home page just follow the link to Experiment No. 3.

Please Note: I also have a small personal social network which is invitation only just follow the link to Luther’s Chosen Few.

Windows: A Paradise for Viruses!

Working where I do and seeing the constant stream of Computers from Windows Users, who have up to date Security, whose computers are full of viruses and malware you start to think just how secure the Windows Operating systems truly are!

After all considering the fact computers are used a bit more I’d expect more problems with viruses and the such but not on the scale I see week on week to a point it almost starting to look a joke.

All this made worse by the fact users think this is perfectly normal situation when you own a computer and use it on the internet as they do not know better.

But both Apple and Linux users know it is not the case as they do very similar things as Windows users, even the stupid things, and very rarely suffer from the same virus and malware issues as windows users.

The reasons may be slightly different for both Apple and Linux users but both users would not accept the same problems Windows users have with viruses and malware as they know the situation is simply not expectable or normal for computer users full stop!

So the biggest question is just why do Windows Users accept the situation as they would not if they had constant problems with their cars or other electrical equipment!

Please Note: If you are interested in a more personal scrapbook of mine just follow the link to Patterns in the Static!.

Please Note: If you are interested in my home page just follow the link to Experiment No. 3.

Please Note: I also have a small personal social network which is invitation only just follow the link to Luther’s Chosen Few.